Tag: UFC on ESPN 53

Edmen Shahbazyan proud to have battled through adversity in KO of AJ Dobson at UFC on ESPN 53

Edmen Shahbazyan reflects on his KO win of AJ Dobson at Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 53.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Edmen Shahbazyan[/autotag] is happy he got his hand raised Saturday, but he’s extra happy for the way it happened.

The middleweight knocked out AJ Dobson on the main card of UFC on ESPN 53 at the UFC Apex to bounce back from a TKO in May 2023. It was a solid showing from Shahbazyan (13-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC), but a rocky one, too, since he had been wobbled by Dobson (7-3 MMA, 1-3 UFC) prior to getting the KO finish.

Being able to come back from adversity and show resilience was important for Shahbazyan.

“I thought it was a good performance,” Shahbazyan said at the UFC on ESPN 53 post-fight press conference. “Battling through adversity is something that I kept telling myself: ‘Whatever happens, I’m going to go in there and battle through it whatever happens, and I’m going to come out with the win’ – and ultimately that’s what happened.

“I’m always kill or be killed in there. I’m glad I took this time off from my last fight to make some improvements and get better. After the fight was done, I’m like, ‘Damn, I can keep going.'”

Years ago, Shahbazyan was undefeated and regarded as one of the best prospects in the sport. However, he was stopped by veteran Derek Brunson in 2020 and went on a rough 2-4 run.

Shahbazyan wants a smarter approach to his career and thinks all those setbacks, as well as wins, have served to make him a better fighter.

“When I was younger, I was just ridding the hype, ridding the storm and just keep getting the finishes,” Shahbazyan said. “I was on that train. But right now, I’m more mature, I’ve learned from my wins and losses – they’re all experience learners like the fight I just had right now. I got caught with a right hand. I’m going to go back, see the mistake, work on it and get better. I’d say it’s experience and maturity that I developed from all those fights.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 53.

Laura Sanko calmly takes down Jamie Varner’s unsolicited UFC on ESPN 53 mansplained hot take

“What do you say to a man with two black eyes?” the question goes. Nothing. He’s already been told twice.

“What do you say to a man with two black eyes?” the question goes.

Nothing. He’s already been told twice.

And in that vein, The Blue Corner will do its best to set editorial commentary to the side to just say this:

We don’t need to point out to [autotag]Jamie Varner[/autotag] that doubling down on an out-of-left-field mansplaining social media post calling [autotag]Laura Sanko[/autotag] a “clown” for her color commentary skills on the UFC on ESPN 53 broadcast Saturday night left him with not one, but two visible black eyes, at least in terms of how his comments went over. He no doubt knew the attention he was trying to stir up in a day and age that rewards polarizing hot takes.

It was Sanko, naturally, who landed the biggest punch of all with a classier rebuttal than Varner deserved.

Varner ripped Sanko for being a “try hard” and saying she doesn’t know about fighting and should “stay in your lane.” In a doubled-down second post, Varner said Sanko, who broke the glass ceiling as the first woman color commentator on a UFC broadcast in the so-called modern era, should “leave the commentary to the people that have actually fought.”

Problem is, Sanko has fought as an amateur and pro. She was sure to remind him of that in her response. She trains and is around the sport regularly arguably more than some of her male UFC commentary colleagues.

Varner did not announce to his fewer than 50,000 Twitter followers (Sanko has more than three times as many) what he thinks of UFC play-by-play voices Jon Anik, Brendan Fitzgerald or John Gooden, none of whom have fought professionally.

He later deleted the tweets and their overwhelmingly critical and negative comments toward him from his timeline.

Varner had been quiet on Twitter since the Super Bowl, when he tweet-stormed his takes about the NFL being rigged, people who like Taylor Swift being a “p*ssy,” the NFL’s decision to have the Black National Anthem performed at the Super Bowl as “trash,” and more.

Varner has not fought since December 2014, when he tapped out to Drew Dober less than 2 minutes into the first round in front of his home fans in Phoenix. It was his fourth straight loss and one of five losses in six fights to end his career. That final loss was just three days removed from Varner’s 30th birthday.

Rose Namajunas interested in winner of Erin Blanchfield vs. Manon Fiorot or Maycee Barber

Rose Namajunas lays out her potential next step, following her win over Amanda Ribas at UFC on ESPN 53.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag] has her eyes on the UFC women’s flyweight title, but she knows work needs to be done first.

Namajunas (12-6 MMA, 10-5 UFC), a former women’s strawweight champion, picked up her first win at 125 pounds Saturday against Amanda Ribas (12-5 MMA, 7-4 UFC) in the main event of UFC on ESPN 53. Namajunas defeated Ribas by unanimous decision in her second fight at flyweight. She lost her divisional debut this past September to [autotag]Manon Fiorot[/autotag].

Now with a win on her resume, Namajunas aims for a top contender so she can get closer to the belt.

“I’ll be watching that Manon and [autotag]Erin Blanchfield[/autotag] (fight),” Namajunas said in the cage after her win. “I wanted to fight either one of those for this fight, but I lost to Manon, so if I can get a rematch with her if she wins, or even Maycee (Barber), I know she looked incredible, as well. (I’ll fight) either one of those girls.”

Blanchfield, Fiorot, and Barber currently are considered the top contenders in the women’s flyweight division. Namajunas has no problem taking any one of those next since she said she would rather earn her title shot instead of using her star power to try to campaign for an opportunity at the belt.

“I was happy to instead of being the champ and just jumping straight into a superfight – champ vs. champ – I do think it’s kind of cool to just work your way up and do it that way,” Namajunas said at the UFC on ESPN 53 post-fight press conference. “I think becoming a champ this way would be way more impressive. But at the same time, if they want to give me (a title shot), I’ll take it.”

Namajunas plans to make flyweight her new home, and doubts she’ll return to 115 pounds in the future. She’s feeling more comfortable and settled in her new weight class.

“I felt actually pretty good,” Namajunas said. “There are some things to work on. I think that I wasn’t as quick or as snappy as I wanted to be, but my arms are a little bigger and I also could feel my strength was great. I know everybody thinks that I’m small or weak, so it’s good to get better at the grappling aspect of things.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 53.

UFC on ESPN 53 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Main event combines for $22,000

UFC on ESPN 53 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 53 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $148,000.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC on ESPN 53 took place at the UFC Apex. The card aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC on ESPN 53 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Amanda Ribas[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Karl Williams[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Justin Tafa[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Edmen Shahbazyan[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]AJ Dobson[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Payton Talbott[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Cameron Saaiman[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Youssef Zalal[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Billy Quarantillo[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Fernando Padilla[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Luis Pajuelo[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Trey Ogden[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Kurt Holobaugh[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Julian Erosa[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Ricardo Ramos[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Miles Johns[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Cody Gibson[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Jarno Errens[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Steven Nguyen[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Dariya Zheleznyakova[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Montserrat Rendon[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Andre Lima[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Igor Severino[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Mick Parkin[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Mohammed Usman[/autotag]: $4,500

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,530; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $53,000 while title challengers get $53,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-53 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $1,669,500
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $24,406,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 53.

Fight Tracks: The walkout songs of UFC on ESPN 53, where Igor Severino took the Eminem Curse to the next level

Check out all the fighter walkout songs from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 53 event.

While it takes intense training, world-class skills and maybe even a bit of luck to register a UFC win, picking the right song to accompany you to the cage is a key talent, as well.

See what the fighters from UFC on ESPN 53 went with as their backing tracks in Las Vegas (fighters listed alphabetically).

UFC on ESPN 53 bonuses: Andre Lima bites into an extra $50,000 in Las Vegas

After UFC on ESPN 53, five fighters picked up an extra $50,000 for their performances in Las Vegas.

The UFC handed out five post-fight bonuses after Saturday’s card, including one to a disqualification victim.

After UFC on ESPN 53, five fighters picked up an extra $50,000 for their performances – and tattoo decisions – in Las Vegas. Check out the winners below.

UFC on ESPN 53 results: Rose Namajunas returns to win column with decision over Amanda Ribas

Former UFC champion Rose Namajunas picked up her first win since 2021 by defeating Amanda Ribas in the UFC on ESPN 53 headliner.

Former UFC strawweight champion [autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag] picked up a much-needed victory in the main event of UFC on ESPN 53.

Namajunas (12-6 MMA, 10-5 UFC) shared the octagon with Amanda Ribas at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas in a women’s flyweight bout that went all five rounds. When the dust settled, Namajunas emerged victorious over Ribas (12-5 MMA, 7-4 UFC), picking up her first win at 125 pounds by unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 48-47).

Ribas was on the hunt early, pressing forward with punches and kicks before Namajunas could settle. Just as the former strawweight champion began finding her range with counters, Ribas switched things up with a nice takedown. The fight quickly got back to the feet, where both fighters would land clean punches before returning to the ground after Namajunas reversed a takedown.

In Round 2, Namajunas circled on the outside during striking exchanges, landing well-timed punches as Ribas looked for a few spinning kicks at the end of her combinations. The former champion’s striking advantage began to shine offensively and defensively.

Namajunas continued her success on the feet early in Round 3 by darting in and out with quick punches. Ribas missed with a few spinning attacks, but got a clean takedown, eventually taking top position after a reversal and another toss to land solid ground and pound to close out the frame.

Striking exchanges led the way in Round 4 before a takedown midway through led to Namajunas taking the top. Ribas was active from her back with short strikes, but so was Namajunas with punches to the body as she maintained position from full guard.

Ribas started the final round with hard kicks, but Namajunas soon began circling and landing clean, darting punches. Ribas continued to look for spinning attacks as she kept forward pressure. Namajunas was quick to evade, then continued to stick and move until the horn.

The judges unanimously scored the fight in Namajunas’ favor, giving the former champ her first win since 2021.

During her post-fight interview, Namajunas said she will be keeping a close eye on next weekend’s headline bout, Manon Fiorot, and Erin Blanchfield as a potential next opponent.

Namajunas’ last victory came in a strawweight title defense against current champion Zhang Weili. She would go on to lose a split decision to Carla Esparza and then a unanimous decision to Fiorot in a move to flyweight.

Ribas failed to keep the momentum going after a November win over Luana Pinheiro. She has traded wins and losses over her past seven fights, but she has been unable to string together a pair of wins since 2020.

Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 53 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 53.

Andre Lima’s oh-so-Vegas tattoo decision after UFC on ESPN 53 made him an extra $25K

Andre Lima won a fight by DQ at UFC on ESPN 53. He got a tattoo around Igor Severino’s bite marks and got an extra $25,000 from Dana White.

[autotag]Andre Lima[/autotag] on Saturday became about the billionth person to make a knee-jerk decision to get a tattoo on a trip to Las Vegas.

But it’s likely to be a move he won’t regret – and it’s one that wound up making him a whole lot more money than he had when he walked into the tattoo studio.

In an absolute rarity, Lima (8-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) stayed unbeaten against fellow Brazilian Igor Severino (8-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) on the UFC on ESPN 53 prelims when Severino was disqualified … for biting his arm.

And lest you think it was just some kind of misunderstanding, after Severino was disqualified, Lima showed the inside of his bicep – which had teeth marks from Severino, despite his mouthpiece.

After the fight, UFC CEO Dana White told Lima he was going to get the promotion’s first “I Got Bit” bonus. So Lima decided to strike while the iron was hot – and while the bite marks still may have been hot, too. After he left the UFC Apex, he high-tailed it to a tattoo parlor, where he promptly got fresh ink with White’s quote – right around the bite marks.

Once he posted about it on social media and White saw it, he said he originally was going to give Lima $25,000 as an off-the-books bonus, but the tattoo made him up the ante to $50,000.

It’s hard to say what Lima’s new tattoo cost, but we can be reasonably sure it wasn’t $25,000. Some pretty simple math says that tattoo idea, despite being soooooooo Vegas, was a great move not just for the uniqueness of his fight, but because it led to another $25K.

Check out exclusive video below of Lima’s tattoo trip, as well as photos from the inking.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 53.

UFC on ESPN 53 play-by-play and live results

Check out live play-by-play and official results from UFC on ESPN 53 in Las Vegas.

LAS VEGAS – UFC on ESPN 53 took place Saturday, and MMA Junkie provided live play-by-play and official results. UFC on ESPN 53 (ESPN/ESPN+) took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

In the main event, Amanda Ribas (12-5 MMA, 7-4 UFC) lost to former women’s strawweight champion Rose Namajunas (12-6 MMA, 10-5 UFC). Justin Tafa (7-4 MMA, 4-4 UFC) lost a decison to Karl Williams (10-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) in the heavyweight co-feature.

Below, you can see the play-by-play and results for UFC on ESPN 53.

Photos: Andre Lima’s bite-mark Las Vegas tattoo trip after UFC on ESPN 53

Andre Lima got a unique tattoo – and it wound up being worth an extra $25,000 from Dana White after UFC on ESPN 53.

[autotag]Andre Lima[/autotag] beat Igor Severino by disqualification at UFC on ESPN 53 after Severino bit him and left a large bite mark on the inside of his left arm. Lima got a tattoo to commemorate it – and Dana White liked it enough he gave him an extra $50,000. (Photos courtesy of Andre Lima’s manager, Lucas Lutkus)